The Torch Festival of Yi is held on June 24 of the Chinese lunar calendar, but the celebration starts on June 23 and ends on June 25. In old days, Yi people killed animals as sacrifice. Beef and mutton were sliced and given to every family on June 23. Torches were made of pine woods which were 1.5 to 2.5 meters long. On June 24, families would have big meals. At night, young people and children lit the torches and then lined up to walk around the farm fields close to the village. The field was lit up by the torches and the flames were supposed to burn the pests and drive away evils and disasters. Afterwards, bonfires would be lit up in the village center or in the mountains and villagers would sing and dance around the bonfire. Meanwhile, families would eat fried soybeans and peas, which symbolizes chewing worms.

The Torch Festival of the Yi nationality is very popular, especially that in Daxishan. The Yi living in Daxishan belong to the Shansu branch and they live at the junction of E’shan, Xinping and Shuangbai. In the morning of the festival, people from the three counties would dress up and go to Daxishan. Around noon, thousands of people would have gathered around the flat field on the top of the mountain. Some were selling beef or mutton soup, cakes, rice noodles, fruits and other snacks and some were watching bull fighting and having livestock dealing. Young people would dance and sing in traditional ways to celebrate the festival. On the main day, the mountain was filled with happy singing and laughter. If you feel tired, you can sit right on the ground and drink alcohol. Unmarried young people always take the occasion to find somebody they are fond of when singing and dancing together. Those who are in love would express their feelings to each other and dream about their future in songs.

There is a special tale among Yi people in Daxishan about the origin of the Torch Festival. Once upon a time, a good-looking young man lived in Daxishan. He was good at making things of bamboo, especially containers or daily tools. He lost his parents as a little boy and had to make a living by selling his bamboo products in the market. During the days selling things on the market, he got to know a beautiful girl from a rich family. They fell in love with each other and wanted to get married. But the girl’s parents disliked the lad for his poverty, and forbad their daughter to date him, not mentioning marrying him. They locked the girl in her room to avoid her meeting with the lad. The girl managed to escape from home on June 24 and climbed up to the top of Daxishan with the lad. They committed suicide together. Later, young men and young women of Daxishan gathered on the top of Daxishan on June 24 and sing and dance to pay tribute to the young couple for their true love.